Crutch.



F. KINDERIVIANN.

CRUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16. 1914.

d Apr. 27, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

e t n nu t a P F. KINDERIVIANN.

CRUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I6. 1914.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- u wnlnunvm null? 'IIlIIIIIII/l Iluun (Va/e14 9 $25 655/ "HE NORRIS PETERS C0,, PHOTO-LITHCL. WASHINGTON, D, C

rr san FRANZ KINDERMANN, or BERLIN, GERMANY.

GRUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patgnted Apr. 2'7, 1%15.

Application filed .Tune 16, 1914s. Serial No. 845,340.

. cation.

My invention relates to crutches, and a primary object is to provide an improved crutch the crosspiece of which is pivotally connected with the staff, the latter being of any suitable type.

In single or double crutches customary heretofore the crosspiece is rigidly connected with the staff and runs out below in the form of a rod. In my improved crutch the crosspiece is pivotally mounted on the staff and is either free to rock or it can move against the action of springs which normally holdthe staff and the crosspiece in their normal position relatively to one another, so that the crosspiece is always 10 cated firmly in the armpit independently of the movement of the staff or of the body.

Another object of my invention is that the crosspiece shall yieldingly adapt itself to the armpit, for which purpose I make it of three parts suitably connected together.

Instead of the crutch having a staff. of the customary form it may be provided at its lower end with a bent runner or rocker of suitable length, in the radius of which the human body resting on the rocking crosspiece can swing to and fro in such manner that equilibrium exists in every stage of the swinging movement.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

Several illustrative embodiments of my invention are represented by way of eX- ample in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is asection showing a pivotally mounted crosspiece made in one piece; Fig. 2 is an elevation showing a crosspiece comprising several parts, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the same, and Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on the line A-A in Fig. 2 showing the mode of mounting the crosspiece; and Fig. 5 is an elevation showing my improved crutch provided with a rocker.

Referring firstly to Fig. 1, the crosspiece 1 is made of wood and its supporting surface 2 is adapted as exactly as possible to the armpit by means of a raised portion 3 in the middle. The crosspiece may, however,

be shaped otherwise if desired. The se-' lected shape has proved practical inasmuch as the middle projection 3 of the crosspiece affords room below for a recess 4: in which the bearing connecting the crosspiece with the staff, not shown, can be accommodated. This bearing comprises two side plates 5 connected below by a crosspiece 6 which abuts against the upper end of the staff.

The side plates are provided with holes 7 for attaching them to the staff by means of screws, bolts or the like. The upper ends of the side plates carry a suitably shaped support 8 which carries a pivot 9 journaled in the metal lining 10 in the recess 4. The crosspiece is generally held in its normal middle position by two symmetrically arranged springs 11 which are attached to the walls of the recess 4 and to the plates 5. These springs may however be absent, so

that the crosspiece can rock freely aboutits pivot on the staff. If springs are employed a certain counter-pressure, which is desirable under some circumstances, is produced tending to prevent the displacement of the crosspiece out of its normal position.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the crosspiece may be made of several parts. It then comprises a middle member 12 of wood or metal, whose outer shape is similar to the middle portion 3 of the crosspiece shown in Fig. 1 and, like this crosspiece, is pivotally attached to the staff. All three parts, 13, 12, 13 are so united by a leather covering 14 which is attached to the middle member 12 and to the side members 13 that the-side members are movable and, when the crutch is used as a support, can adjust themselves to the shape of the armpit in such manner that the supporting surface of the leather covering corresponds exactly to the shape of the armpit. The automatic adaptation of the crosspiece to the armpit is aided by'the leather covering not being supported be tween the middle member and the ends of the side members, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, so that it yields elastically under the pressure of the body.

Referring to Fig. 5 showing my improved crutch comprising a rocker 15 at its lower end, the rocker must have a suitable curvature and may be of any suitable length. The length of the crutch is equal to the I radius of l eof the rockerl' vely inf.v

" exertion when using the crutch may be avoided. Y

The operation of my improved crutch I I will be readily understood. When the crosspiece' is" placed into the armpit and" it has adapted itselfto the shape of the armpit owingto the adjustment of the side memf bers 13,13 in the-form shown in Figs. 2 and 3,,"it will'remain located securely and immovably in the armpit as long as it is in use.

The movement of the crutch, whether the same is of thecustomary form or is pro-r vided below with a rocker according to my 7 invention, has no infiuence whatever on the I,pos1t1on of the crosspiece lhe swinging to the crosspiece owing to the pivotal connectionof the two.

movement of the crutch cannot berimparted 7 If the crutch is provided below with a rocker the body of the person using the crutch constitutes a pendulum supportedby the crosspiece, so that owing to the'pivotal connection between the staftand the crosspiece equilibrium is always 4 preserved in every stage of the oscillation of'the crutch. The possibility of the staff moving relatively to the crosspiece prevents in a very suitable manner all slipping of the body on thecrosspiece during theswinging movement. r

I claim: 7'

1. A crutch comprisinga stalf, a cross piece,ja member having a cavity secured to said crosspiece,and a pivotal connection between said member and said staff.

' 21A crutchcomprising a staff, a cross piece,'a member having a cavity secured to saidcrosspiece, and a pivotal connection between'said member and said staff, said pivotal connection being disposed at the upper end of said cavity.

crutch comprisingin combination a stafi and a crosspiece pivotally connected to one end thereof, said crosspiece comprising 7 a middle part pivotally mountedon the stafi", two side parts pivotally mounted on the middle part, and a flexible covering cari ried by the middle and side parts.

I 4. A" crutch comprising a stall, a cross piece comprising a middle'member forming an upwardly projecting part adapted to engage-in the arm pit, a pivotal connection between said middle member and said stafl', side elements of said cross piece secured to and movable with respect to said middle member, and a flexible member extendin over the outer ends of said side elements an over said middle member.

5. A crutch comprising in combination a staff and a crosspiece pivotally connected to one end thereof, said crosspiece having a hollow middle projecting portion adapted to take into the armpit and to contain the pivotal connection with the staff.

6. A crutch cross piece comprising a middle member forming an upward projection adapted to extend into the arm pit, lateral elements secured upon and movable with respect to said middlemember, and a flexible member spanning the free space between said 'middle member and the outer ends of said lateral elements.

-7. A crutch comprising a stafi, a cross piece comprising a middle member forming an upwardly projecting part adapted to engage in the arm pit, a pivotal connection between said middle member and said stafi, side elements of said cross piece secured to and movable with respect to said middle member, and a flexible member extending over the outer ends of said side elements and over said middle member, said middle member having a cavity in the upper part of which said pivotal connection is disposed.

8. A crutch comprising in combination a staff, a crosspiece pivotally mounted on one end of said staff and incapable of movement longitudinally thereof, and a spring tending copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' i Washington, D. C. 

